HAVE you CHANGED??? (page 2)

zenpunk

I'm completely different. I never thought so until recently I met an old friend from the JW days and it was like a reminder of how far I'd come. The key however is, don't get angry at what they did to us - just move forward.

SpiceItUp

I am different in the sense that I will speak my opinion without fear that I will be disliked just because someone disagrees with me. For the most part I am the same person but I am a bit more outspoken especially on the things that I am passionate about. I am no longer a "doormat" either.

ozziepost

Well, self-praise is no praise, isn't it? So I asked Mrs Ozzie about this and she agrees that I'm a changed man. Ain't that nice!

How? Well, just as with the other posters here, I can echo these comments:

there's a feeling of peace
inside, there's a feeling of peace.
Like others mentioned, I do feel much more relaxed now, at peace w/ myself.

Ahh, freedom! Ahh, peace!! How sweet it is.

Cheers, Ozzie

The_Bad_Seed

I don't think I was regarded as anything but 'weak'. After our congregation split up into different territories and was left with noone but geriatrics, odd introvert bible studies, and snobbies to talk to, so I just stopped talking. Talks were frequently cancelled, service hours came to a screeching halt, meetings skipped for photograhy opportunities, I just faded away, and am sure I was looked down upon to some stupid degree.

Seeker4

I like the term Noidea used - "freethinker." I would say that I was a closet freethinker for a long, long time. As a Witness, I read a considerable amount of what would be considered apostate literature for years. Yet I was also essentially a true believer. I had faith that the WTS, despite its failings, was still God's instrument.

I found myself acknowledging that there were serious problems with both the Society and the Bible, but felt that all of that would be straightened out, given enough time.

Well, time ran out, and I decided it was OK to take a good hard look at everything I'd been taught. I now consider myself an atheist, rationalist and freethinker. An intellectual and physical adventurer in ways impossible to experience as a JW. I think my leaving shocked a lot of the friends - I'd been an elder for many years, assembly overseer, district convention speaker, pioneer and pioneer school instructor, etc etc. On the other hand, good friends who had left the Witnesses said that they always felt I thought too deeply about things to ever remain a Witness for life.

Among the biggest changes I found was a certain degree of sexual experimentation. I was a bit shocked at the number of striking, intelligent women who were attracted to a pretty well preserved 40-something guy with a brain and a sense of humor. And always remarkably self-confident, I find myself even more so now that I don't have to try and defend a belief system that is undefendable. Confidence in yourself has a VERY interesting effect on the people around you. And when I say confidence, I don't mean arrogance. Real confidence is something quite opposite.

For me the greatest aspect of all this is to be able to honestly look at things and deal with them for what they truly are. No mythology needed to make sense of it all. I can live life exactly as it is - without fear. I think that brings a wonderful sense of peace. At least it does to me.

S4

expatbrit

So I asked Mrs Ozzie about this and she agrees that I'm a changed man. Ain't that nice!

It may be nice Ozzie old boy! And then again....lol

Perhaps some more questions to 'er indoors are required?

Expatbrit

LizardSnot

I have definetly changed...it took a long time but I was finally able to get "dubdom" out of my head.

When I left the organization...it was simply because I couldnt live the life of being a Jehovah's Witness anymore. I wasn't allowed to be good at anything...couldn't fit in...people always watching me. Finally, I figured that I can stay away and feel that way...why go to the meetings? And who are they to boss me around? *pure rebellion

The only problem is that I still firmly believed in their teachings...so basically...I felt doomed.

It wasnt until some years later...(when I dared to go to a bible study that a friend held)...that I realized JW teachings were all wrong. It took a while but gradually, with the help of my friends and a pastor (thanx Steve), I was able to unlearn all of what I had been taught in my 12 years as a "dub".

Change is good ;)

Lizard

ozziepost

some more questions to 'er indoors are required

Don't ask, don't tell!!

Sentinel

Amazing,

YES, YES, I have changed. I have been turned inside out physically and emotionally. I have changed in every way posible, and yet, I am the same person. I changed myself. I take responsibility.

Old friends, especially JW's might not recognize me at first, but they would know my voice. The voice speaks up from the well of the heart, and my heart is healed. My soul is healed. I'm a confident woman, with some wear. There are lines on my face, and my eyes hold the stories of a lifetime. But I'm different, you bet. I'm better. I'm not perfect, and I don't care. I'm human and I do human things. And it's not just the maturity of my age. It is the changes I made along the way, the decisions I made, the choices I took. The chances I continue to take. The courage to let go when I need to, and to hold on when I need to, AND THE FREEDOM TO MAKE THAT CHOICE.

I'm still changing. Change is a good thing. If we don't change we don't grow. I'm glad to be where I'm at right now. It would have been nice to have this mindset when I was younger, but perhaps the time was not right for me. I don't feel anger for the past. I am what I am today, because of my past. I have a few regrets, but nothing to do with JW's directly. I don't harbor any ill thoughts at all. I regret that my early cognition in life was improperly distorted by the influence of other adults, before and during the JW experience. Much of that comes from inside me. My perception of life.

How do I know I'm on the right track now? Because there is joy in my heart. A joy that I never knew when I was following the teachings of the borg, or for the years of "detachment" from facing my own personal demons. This is a joy that is with me, even though unhappy things still occur. Also, I find great happiness and fulfillment with this wonderful spiritual connection to the universe and everything in it. I'm glad to be alive, but not just alive. I'm glad I can finally live life! I celebrate my life!

Well, I just had to let my heart out a bit. It feels sooooo good!

Karen/Sentinel

Farkel

: : HAVE you CHANGED???

Nope. I'm still a jerk.

Farkel

HAVE you CHANGED???

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